Heaven Doesn't Need Another Angel
by Has Anyone Seen the Doctor
Summary: Set in the Walking Dead Universe, Alyss and her sister have been battling the walkers for a year and a half. When they stumble upon Rick and the gang, what new changes will be waiting when they arrive at the prison? What happens when Alyss begins to fall for the quiet and calculative son of their leader? Will they thrive together? Or will heaven get a new angel? (Carl x OC)
1. Chapter 1

Well hello. Fancy seeing you here. So this is my third fanfiction that I've published and well third time's the charm! This fanfiction has literally been chilling in one of my notebooks for two years. That's like a billion years in fanfiction time. Anyways here it is. Chapter One. Like always, I'm posting the first chapter only. If it goes well, you shall receive it all! If not, well, I'll go curl up and die. So enjoy!

The wind began blowing and it shook up the dead leaves piled around the playground. Annabelle giggled as she began chasing them around the swingset as they danced away from her. Sharpening my knife in slow strokes, I glanced up and smiled at the simplicity of it. I placed my knife down and stood up, embracing the strong, autumn breeze. My sister smiled up at me as she stopped her chase. Clutching an auburn leaf, she handed me her coveted prize.

"It's for the collection," She said, with the air in her voice that all six year olds carried. I nodded and with that signal she ran off to begin her descent on the swings. My little sisters strange obsession with leaves is something that I will never understand. Pulling out a worn notebook from an even more worn drawstring bag, I tucked the leaf safely inside the pages. "Come push me," She cried out, her short legs barely long enough to let her toes scratch against the asphalt.

"Aren't you old enough to push yourself, Annie?" I teased but nevertheless made my way over to the rusted swings. She stuck her tongue out at me, then turned to seemingly smile at the sky.

"I wanna go as high as the birds. All the way up! Maybe I'll make it all the way to Heaven. Do you think Mom and Dad will be there?" She asked, without a care in the world in her voice. My breath hitched in my throat as I stopped in my tracks. I breathed in and out, plastering a big smile.

"I don't think you can go that high, honey. Besides, heaven doesn't need another angel." I said, pressing my hands on her back and giving her a quick push. Her legs began to swing back and forth as she slowly swung back to me. Pushing her again, her legs began to pump back and forth and I walked back to my spot. Sitting down, I tucked my knife into the bag and checked it for the umpth time for my gun. I slipped it out and placed it next to me. The cool metal was soothing against my hand as I picked it up and checked the clip. Shoving the clip back with a satisfying click, I placed it in the holster on my side.

The day was calm. The neighbor we had stopped in was unusually calm. It was in a small town that must've not been hit as hard. I sighed. The wind began to pick up again, stronger and whipping up leaves and debris. I tucked my jacket tighter around me and reminded myself to try and find warmer clothes. Something struck my leg, blown fiercely against it. I picked it up and realized it was a crumpled up piece of paper. Spreading it open on my lap, emboldened letters screamed up at me from the element attacked paper. "Instructions for Contagion Prevention." I crumpled it back up and tossed it at an overflowing trashcan. I missed. The sun faded flyer had been one of the millions that had been passed out and stapled everywhere by government workers at the beginning of the infection. When they first thought that they could stop it. When we still had a government to hand out flyers. It happened fast. Fast enough to where no one knew what it do. All we knew is that the people were sick and then they died, we didn't figure out that they came back until it was too late. It all went to hell. My parents kept us alive, at the loss of their own lives. My sister was freshly five when the infection hit, I was stuck between fourteen and fifteen.

Annabelles giggles were the only thing to fill the empty space. Slowly, I picked up my knife and began sharpening it to the rhythm of the squeaking of the swing set. For a while, it was calm. A sharp scream erupted against the seemingly silent day.

"Alyss! Walker!"


	2. Chapter 2

Scooping up my sister, I walked, calmly but quick enough, over to the play set and placed her down.

"Baby, I need you to stay here. I'm gonna go take care of it." I tried to explain, as she drilled me with those big brown eyes. "I will be right back." I said, placing my hands on her shoulders, feeling her slightly shaking. As she nodded, I released my hands and slipped my knife out of my pocket. Walking over to its lumbering figure, the smell was the first thing to hit me. A year and a half later and the smell never seemed to dissipate. Of course, it being an older one didn't help the smell. I stopped a couple feet in front of it as it stumbled over the lip of the playground turf and it's one scuffed sneaker hit the wood chips. Spinning my knife in my hands, I placed a foot behind me and took my stance. It's arms reached out to me as I turned the slipped my knife forcefully into the front of its forehead. Yanking it out, it slowly fell and crumpled at my feet. Quickly, I stepped backwards and wiped off my knife on my already dirty jeans. I put my knife back into my pocket and jogged back to my sister, who practically leaped into my arms. Clutching her to my chest, I wrapped my arms around her back and held her there. "Let's head out of here, okay?" I asked her as she lifted her head out of my shoulder and nodded with snot running down her nose. She wiped it off with her long sleeved shirt and nodded.

"Where are we going?" She asked, clinging to me once again, her head resting on my chest.

"Somewhere nice, sweetie. A two story house, maybe one with a little girl's room with all the dollies you can play with." I said, adjusting her on my hip, as we reached the bench and I grabbed my bag. "Besides, we're almost close to the CDC. There'll be people there. People that can help us." Slipping my bag onto my other shoulder, I instinctively looked both ways down the road as we reached the curb. Walking across the street, the neighborhood was silent except for my footsteps.

"Where they'll be doctors? And girls like me? And maybe they'll have a lot of trees outside so I can get more leaves!" Annabelle said, her eyes lighting up and looking at me eagerly as we reached the other curb and make our way across the lawn of the house that we were squatting in.

"I hope so baby. I really hope so." I said, setting her down as we reached the door. I slipped out my pistol and slowly nudged the door open. Annabelle stayed behind me, close enough I could feel her breath on my leg. Squeaking softly, the door hit the wall and I made my way inside. After a quick sweep in the small one story home, I slipped my gun back in it's holster and brought Annabelle inside. "Okay sweetie, go grab your stuff we're going to leave." I said, as she ran off into the living room where we'd been sleeping. We never slept in the rooms of the owners. Sometimes you aren't the only one tucked into bed. Grabbing an empty duffel bag, I ransacked the cabinets and filled the bags with cans of beans, fruit, vegetables, and canned pastas. Annabelle always had to make sure we had food put away in the house. Something about making her feel more at home. The poor girl had been through enough to last anyone a lifetime, much less a six year old. Closing the rest of the cabinets and weighing the bag in my hands, it felt half empty. I sighed and made another mental note that we needed to find more food. Placing the bag down on the counter, I went down the hall to go check on Annabelle. "How's it going, sweetie?" I asked. Annabelle had to pack everything. As in everything. I wasn't even allowed to even breathe on anything. She was shoving a sleeping bag into a bag that was half its size.

"I got it!" She said, as she slowly managed to tied the handles of the bag together, with the sleeping bag squeezing its way out. "All done, Alyss!" She said, rolling the bag over with our other two bags. One with our clothes, the other with whatever we thought we might need; toothbrush, toothpaste, rope, soap, deodorant, the usual.

"Alright let's go load up." I said, picking up all the bags and heading into the kitchen and grabbing the bag on the counter. Annabelle came tagging along, clutching her favorite Winnie the Pooh stuffed animal, dirtied and worn by time. Herding her outside, I shut the door behind us and headed towards our Dad's old 1980 Chevy Pickup Truck. Throwing our bags in, I checked for my bow and arrow resting in the bed of the truck. "Alyss, come on." Turning around, I saw my sister standing in the front yard, waving goodbye. She finished waving before skipping over to me and dragging Winnie along by his arm.

"I had to say goodbye." She said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Picking her up, I opened the door, laid the seat down and plopped her down in the backseat.

"Of course you need. Now buckle up and try and get some sleep." I said, as I propped the seat back up and waited to hear the click of the seatbelt before closing the door. Opening the drivers door, I hopped in and plugged the key into the ignition. Closing the door shut behind me, I turned the key and prayed they the engine would turn over. Hearing the engine roar to life, I switched the gear into drive and checked the mirror. Annabelle was laying in the back seat, clutching Winnie and sucking her thumb as if her life depended on it. I placed my gaze back on the road as I pressed down on the pedal and we sped out, leaving the home behind us and the sun at our backs.

We drove until the gas needle began twitching towards empty. Annabelle had woken up about an hour ago and was telling me all about what she wanted the house we would stay at to look it.

"It should be tall. Like four stories! And it should be pink! Or purple, maybe green. No I don't like green." She said, pouting as I smiled to myself and slowly pulled into a development that was the nicest we've been in a while. There wasn't a lot of cars piled about and the debris seemed to stay away. It almost seemed like this place was untouched from it all. Pulling in front of a two story house, the needle hit the E and the car stopped.

"We're here." I said, opening the door with a creak, as I stepped out and the chilly air hit me. The sun was setting behind the house in bright oranges and reds. I walked over to the other side of the truck, opened the door and laid the seat down. Annabelle hopped into my arms with Winnie hitting against my hip as I showed her our new accommodations. A slight frown hovered on her lips.

"It's not pink," She said, her voice uncertain. "But it's yellow. I like yellow." She said, nodding her approval as I set her down.

"Let's go check it out then." I said, walking up to the house, slipping the gun out of its holster as Annabelle got into her favorite sneaking spot. Slowly I turned the doorknob and surprisingly it opened. Usually in a place as nice as this, everything was locked. Even in the apocalypse, people were still afraid of burglars. Kicking the door a couple of times, I raised my gun up to shoot, waiting for a walker to come stumbling to check to see if the noise brought a meal. Nothing came. Looking down at Annabelle, I placed my finger up to my lips and she nodded. I stepped into the house and did a quick sweep of the kitchen, dining room and the downstairs bathroom. Walking back to the front door, I motioned for Annabelle to follow me but she was staring past me. Slowly her hand rose up and pointed behind me. I spun around, expecting to be face to face with dead eyes and a decaying face. But I was met with eyes...live eyes. Bright, blue, live eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

So guys. Thanks. All of your support and reviews make me so happy! You have no idea how encouraging it is to open up your email to see all the favorites, follows and reviews I've gotten for this. I've only gotten like four reviews but yeah, you get the point. I just wanted to say thank you and try to make this chapter a little longer in appreciation. Enjoy .-.

Holding my gun at his chest, I gripped it tighter as I felt Annabelle run up to me and clutch my leg. The boy kept looking down at me with narrow eyes and a questioning glare.

"I suggest you put your gun down," I said, trying to remain calm as I motioned towards his pistol with my own. Feeling Annabelles nails dig into my leg, I took one hand off the gun and placed it on her head, holding her to my leg.

"I was going to say the same thing to you," He said, his voice deep and level.

"At the same time then?" I proposed, trying not to sound as nervous as I felt. He nodded and I began to count, "One. Two. Three." At that moment, we both dropped our arms and I placed my gun back into it's holster. While we weren't planning on gunning one another down, I snuck a view glances at him. He was tall and well built, not too muscular where the veins popped out but where you could tell he could hold his own. His hair was dark, deep brown, almost black and was long but it wasn't shaggy. Back to the eyes, they were...well living eyes. We hadn't seen any survivors in a long time, and if we did, we didn't get close enough to see their eyes. His eyes were a bright, brilliant blue. He was wearing a hat, it looked like the kind of hat a sheriff would wear. While my eyes were roaming over him, it looked like he was doing the same. Blushing, I crossed my arms over my chest and checked down at Annabelle in order to keep my eyes off of him. It wasn't everyday in the zombie apocalypse you ran into a hot teenage boy the same age as you. Atleast I hope he was the same age as me. Annabelle was eying the boy herself before turning her big brown doe eyes onto me and motioning for me to kneel down. Bending at the knees, she cupped her hands quickly around my ear and whispered,

"Is he nice?" She said, pulling back and looking me with big worried eyes. Glancing back up at the boy, a sudden flash of panic flooded through me as I realized the cause of her worry. Gripping her shoulders and looking into her eyes.

"It's not him, Annabelle. He's dead. He can't come and get us anymore." I said, as I slowly saw the fear fade away as I stood back up, holding Annabelle in my arms. The boy was staring at us again, this time his expression couldn't be read.

"Where's the rest of your group?" He asked.

"It's just us." I replied, seeing the obvious shock on his face.

"It's just been you two. All this time?" He asked, seemingly shocked that we could handle ourselves.

"Yes." I lied. "What about you?" I asked, scanning around the room.

"My dad's here. Dad!" He called out as my hand went automatically for my gun. The boys eyes shot to where the motion was and I brought my hand back to Annabelle.

"Force of habit." I said, presenting a small smile, trying to diffuse the tension. He eyed my gun before turning his head to the door which lead to the backyard. Stepping in was a man. He looked like an older version of the boy, but he looked aged by time more than his actual age. He was dressed simple and his face was covered in a fine layer of scruff. His eyes matched the boys but they were dimmer, seemingly covered in a layer of grime brought upon by unmentionable horrors.

"Who are you?" He asked, sending his gaze directly from his son and onto me. I stood up straighter, keeping my hand securely on the side of Annabelles head.

"My name is Alyss and this is my sister, Annabelle. We were just passing through, no need to start up anything." I said, trying to sound nonchalantly but inside I was wondering how fast I could grab my pistol out of it's holster and aim it at his heart.

"My name is Rick and this is my son, Carl." Rick said in a deep Southern accent. "Where's the rest of your group?"

"We don't have a group. We've been alone since our parents died." I lied through my teeth as he looked at us doubtfully.

"By yourselves?" Rick asked. I nodded and he seemed to change his tune. "I'm impressed, usually the younger ones didn't last long without a group." Saying this to himself, he kneeled down and smiled at Annabelle. "Well hello sweetie." He said, as she buried herself into the side of my leg.

"She's shy. We haven't always met nice people." I said, patting the side of her head. Rick and Carl nodded to themselves as Rick stood back up. "Do you two have a group? You both look too nice to be on your own." I spoke, as Annabelle poked her head out and looked up at Rick. Both of them looked at each other for while. "I understand." I butted in, causing them both to look at me. "You have no reason to trust us, and we have no reason to trust you. So rock, paper, scissors for the gear here?" I asked as Annabelle giggled from my leg, earning a smile from Rick and an approving glance towards me.

"We have a group. And a place to hold up. A prison." Rick said, looking at Carl, who gave him a nod. I felt Annabelle grip my leg and I looked down at her.

"Baby, they aren't prisoners." Turning my glance to the men standing in front of me. "Are you?" This earned me a smile from Carl and a chuckle from Rick.

"Oh no. We took it over. Cleared it out and we stay in the cells. It's a pretty good setup." I nodded in agreement. Then Rick turned from his casual tone to a serious facade. "How many walkers have you killed?" Surprised at the answer, I was quiet for a moment.

"Too many to count" I replied as I felt Annabelle nod against my leg.

"How many people have you killed?" He asked as both he and Carl leaned in slightly.

"Four." I said, as Annabelles head perked up.

"Why?" Rick said, turning his glance into a piercing glare.

"They wanted us to drink the Kool-Aid." I said simply. Earning a nod from Rick and a glance from Carl, they looked at each other for a quick moment.

"Welcome to the group."


	4. Chapter 4

"That's it?" I asked in surprise. Rick nodded and Carl gave me a small smile.

"Welcome to the group." Carl said, offering his hand out to me. Slowly, I moved my hand off the hilt of my gun and grasped his hand in mine. It was warm and callused over. We stood like this for a while, simply staring at eachother. An action that didn't mean much before but now it seemed to carry everything on its shoulders. Dropping our hands, Annabelle popped out from behind my legs and stood in front of me, seeming to inspect these new people.

"Do you have kids like me?" She asked, managing to squeak out but still starring Rick straight in the eyes, tall and seemingly defiant. Rick smiled softly and kneeled down once again, this time Annabelle kept her eyes locked on him as if whatever he said would be the answer to an extremely important question.

"Why yes we do little miss. I have a daughter and she's about two, we have other kids that are a little older than you but I think you'll fit right in." He said, as her eyes lit up and she turned around quickly to look at me.

"We're going." She said as if I had not right to defy her. A smile settled upon my face as I saw Rick stand up and a smile was in his eyes for just a moment.

"Oh yes, I think that's a good idea." I said, teasingly as she turned around to look at Rick.

"When are we going?" She asked, speaking promptly. Rick seemed a bit taken back, but smiled nonetheless.

"Right now." He said, turning to turn his gaze on me. "We cleared the house, not much, it's probably already been scavenged. Did you both need anything?"

"We got everything. Just food. The weather's getting colder and there really hasn't been a lot of game around." I shrugged as Rick's face erupted in a smile and Carl cast me a glance.

"You hunt?" Carl asked.

"Yeah, I have my bow in the truck, why?" I asked.

"We need another hunter. There's Daryl but even he's not enough manpower to bring us all the food we need." Rick said.

"How many people do you have?" I asked, surprised. Usually groups didn't get this big. The only other group that we had encountered that was this large, well, let's just say it didn't end well. Rick and Carl glanced at each other before Carl answered,

"About sixty or seventy of us. It's not a lot compared the the room that we have." He shrugged, as if he had said he was just him and his dad. I nodded as if his was normal.

"How far are you guys from here?" I asked, wondering where we would find gas for the truck. "We're just about empty."

"You could just ride with us. We're about three or four miles from here." Carl said, looking directly at me. I was just about to accept their offer before Annabelle butted in.

"We can't leave the truck!" She protested, turning to look at me. "Alyss, it was Daddys." Her eyes were big and boring down into me. Sighing, I nodded at her and turned to look at Carl.

"Thank you, but Annabelle's right. If we leave it, she might kill me." I said, ruffling her hair as she stuck her tongue at me. "You guys don't happen to have any gas on you? There aren't that many cars around here and I'm guessing many of them were ditched." I remarked, remembering the amount of dirt and grime that were on a majority of the vehicles. Once again, I received a praiseful glance from Rick.

"We already checked them when we came last week, all tapped dry. We've got an extra tank in the pack and we've got enough to drive there and back." Carl said, smiling at me before smiling down at Annabelle. "Trust me darlin, we'd get your Dads truck there if I had to push it back myself." He said, as she smiled back. I already knew that she was going to be the apple of their eyes before the week was up.

"Lets go!" She squealed, grabbing on my hand and jumping up and down. I chuckled and placed my hand on her head, slowly stopping her bouncing.

"Well, I guess we have our orders. Carl, go help Alyss get the gas tank and fill up the truck. Annabelle, there's a bedroom upstairs that I'd think you'd like to see." Rick said, smiling down at Annabelle with an almost look at pride. Annabelle looked up at me with the big puppy dog eyes, knowing she wasn't going anywhere with anyone unless I said yes. Glancing up at Rick, I went with my gut.

"As long as you have your knife right?" I asked her as she lifted up her shirt and I noticed the hilt of the blade tucked into her waistband. Looking up at Rick, he was looking at me in approval. "Go on ahead." I nodded as she ran off to Rick, who was already leading her up the stairs. Turning around, I saw Carl standing at the door. "Trust me, my sister is not going to stab your dad." I said, walking past him and through the doorway. Hearing his footsteps follow me, I made a beeline for the nearest vehicle that wasn't mine.

"I sure do hope not because I'm not exactly sure how to get back." He said, his blue eyes locking on my green ones as we both met at the trunk of the car. I smiled at him as he popped the trunk and snatched a red gasoline tank, closing the trunk door with a click. We walked over to the truck and he undid the gas cap and started pouring the gas in. "So where are you both from?" He asked, turning to face me, keeping on hand on the gas can.

"Conway, South Carolina. Small town, real Southern. You two?" I asked.

"King County, Georgia. Not too far off from here. Ya'll made it pretty far for only a year and a half." Carl remarked.

"We had this baby." I said, patting the side of the bed of the truck. "Hasn't broken down yet, our dad considered it as if it was another one of his kids."

"What happened to your parents?" Seemingly blurted out, he stuttered and turned red, trying to take it back.

"No. No. I don't mind. My dad and mom, well, they didn't last long. Our mom was sick to begin with; cancer, ulcers, everything you can name and then some. She was attacked by a rogue patient in the hospital and they killed her on site. At least it was early on. Our dad lost it after that, he wouldn't accept that the people were sick, he thought that the man that attacked our mom was a murder and did it out of his own will." I sighed and shook my head, looking down at my feet. "He didn't last long after that, but not because of the sickness." I said, lifting my head back up and holding it up higher. "Then it was just me and Annabelle. We left as soon as our dad..passed. Stayed away from people and we headed towards the CDC, that's where we were heading." I said, as his face dropped a little.

"Sorry to break it to you, but the CDC is gone." My heart dropped.

"W...What?" I managed to stutter out.

"That's the first place we went to when it hit. It was shutting down, the generators slowly running out of gas. When the generators go out, the building explodes to destroy the diseases. We managed to escape in time." Carl said, looking down. "Not all of us." I heard him mutter. Slowly and unsurely, I reached out and placed my hand on his that was on the gas tank.

"We've all lost someone." I said, my voice thick with emotion. His eyes looked up and locked onto mine. We stayed like this long after the gas had finished draining from the can and the moment was broken as we heard rapid footsteps running towards us. Automatically, I dropped my hand from his and sharply turned towards the noise. Annabelle was running out with something securely tucked underneath her arm and clutching something out in front of her.

"Alyss! Eeyore!" She squealed, shoving the purple donkey in my face as her smile reached all the way up to her eyes. Hugging the toy to her chest as if for dear life, she smiled. "Rick said I could have it, he said the other little girl wouldn't mind." Looking up, Rick nodded at me and I nodded back.

"That was very nice," I picked her up. "We're all ready." I said, looking at Carl who had already recapped the gas cap and was placing the empty tank into the trunk. Opening up the drivers seat door, I moved down the seat and placed Annabelle inside. "Buckle up missy." I said. Moving the seat back and closing the door, I turned to face Rick who was about to get into the car. "We'll follow you." He nodded and sat in the drivers seat and started the engine. Carl gave me a subtle nod before taking his spot in the passenger's seat. I swung open the drivers side door and hopped in. Their car pulled in front of us as I started the engine. With a quick honk from me, we were on our way.


	5. Chapter 5

So I just wanna thank you guys for being amazing human beings with all your reviews and follows, you have no clue. I've been going through a lot this week with a whole bunch of stuff and then some. So going on and seeing all the love ya'll send me is a great pick me up. So thanks. Enjoy. P.S. This is my first over 2,000 word chapter and I would really appreciate it if you guys would let me know how I did. Thank you!

We rode along the rode silently, the only noise was the off key humming of Annabelle in the back seat. Slowly, I began humming along and gently tapping out the rhythm on the steering wheel. Every so often, I'd see Carl swing his head around, his hair racing after him, checking if we were still following. True to their word, we reached the prison in a mere matter of minutes. It was huge. I mean I've never seen a prison in real life before but this was huge. Walkers surrounded the outer fences, making the metal bend under the stress, and more seemed to stream out of the woods at the sound of our arrival. Huge, heavy gates slowly swung open as Rick entered and I quickly followed suit. Smaller gates opened as we both made our way into the prison yard. I cut off the ignition and slowly swung open the door, my boots hitting the gravel as I stepped out. Annabelle managed to climb up into the front seat and was looking up at me eagerly.

"Let me check it out." I said, as she nodded at me, her brown curls moving up and down in agreement as well. Making sure she was safely tucked into the backseat, I closed the door and placed my hand on the hilt on my gun. Rick was stepping out of the car and Carl was closing the door as I made my way over. "What now?" I asked, looking around and spotting two people, both in their twenties, one Asian, another one light skinned and with brown hair, looking down at me from one of the watchtowers. When eye contact was made, they made their way back into the tower and I heard the metal clang of a door slam down.

"Now, my dad goes and gets everyone and we all get introduced." Carl said, trying to see his way around me. "Where's Annabelle?" He asked, as his eyes made their way to the truck where his face erupted into a smile. Turning around, I saw Annabelle perched over the top of the drivers seat, watching everything and turning to look at me with hopeful eyes. I waved my hand motioning for her to come out. She nearly flipped off the top into the seat below, causing a small chuckle from Carl. I was really starting to enjoy seeing his boy happy. The car door slowly creaked open as we saw two small feet hit the gravel and the door slowly swing closed. Clutching Eeyore to her chest, Annabelle made her way over to us, her feet guiding her as her gaze never left the towering structure in front of us. She stopped next to me and looked at Carl in pure awe,

"You two live here?" She asked, amazed.

"Yep, me, my dad and a lot of other people, but there's a lot of room left for ya'll." He said, looking down at her as her eyes roamed over the building. Stopping on something she liked, she turned to look at me with big green eyes.

"They have chalk Alyss! Can I play with some? Please!" Annabelle asked, clutching her prize closer to her chest. Ever since the shit had hit the fan, Annabelle really didn't have much of a childhood and she didn't remember anything from before our Mom died, thank God. Everything to her was amazing; butterflies, leaves, chalk, even cool looking rocks got her excited.

"Well once we meet everyone I'm sure they'll be happy to share." I said, patting her head as the noise of a door swinging open filled the air and we all turned to glance at the watchtower. It was the same two people who were inspecting our arrival.

"Who do we got here?" The Asian asked, making his way over with a smile on his face. His partner followed along but a bit warily.

"This is Alyss and Annabelle." Carl introduced us, as I nodded at them and Annabelle peaked out from behind my legs. "Dad and I found them out on a run and they passed." The Asian smiled and offered out his hand to me. Taking it with my free hand, I shook it.

"I'm Glenn and this is my wife Maggie." Glenn said, wrapping his arm around Maggie's shoulders. Maggie's eyes roamed over me before settling on Annabelle, her face breaking out in a smile.

"It's nice to meet you both." I said, looking down at Annabelle and whispering, "Go on, say hello." She looked up at me and nodded, turning to face them she released her death grip on my leg.

"My name is Annabelle and I'm six." She said, rearranging the stuffed donkey to display her age on her fingers. Both of them smiled at her. I assumed they hadn't seen a little kid since the infection began, well a live one.

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you Annabelle." Glenn said, smiling down at her, earning a huge smile in return. Glenn seemed nice and friendly, I was surprised that he had survived this long. The nice ones died out pretty quickly.

"It's nice to meet you both. It's been a while since Rick's brought anyone back." Maggie said, her voice layered with a slight yet prevalent Southern accent. "My name is Maggie, but Glenn already told you." She said, smiling at her husband. "Where are you both from?" She asked, turning back to us.

"South Carolina, near the border of North Carolina. Small town." I said. "We were heading towards the CDC when we ran into your merry band of misfits but apparently is kinda blown up." Shrugging my shoulders, I tried to make a smile appear on my lips but to no avail. Glenn went to go say something but a loud voice cut him off.

"Dad!" Carl shouted as I turned my head to look up at the top of the path that led to the prison. Rick was walking down the path with three people. One was an older man with grey hair and a neat beard. He walked with a strange gait as if one of his legs was connected funny to the rest of his body. The other two were women. One was probably in her late thirties, with grey speckled short hair. She was thin but she walked with a confidence that was contradictory to her size. The last had dark skin with her hair in many braids, held back by a colorful headband. She had some type of sword hung on her back with a white striped handle. Feeling something against my leg, I looked down and Annabelle had hid herself literally behind my legs. As they made their way, I stood up straighter and reminded myself to release my intense grip on my gun, it might scare them or something. The old man smiled at me and tried to peer at the mass hiding behind my legs. In one quick sweep, I snatched her up, much to the delight of the older man.

"I see the reason why Rick brought you here." He said, in a soft tone. "I'm Hershel. It's a pleasure to meet you both. This is Carol and Michonne." Hershel said, motioning first to the smaller lady and then to the one with the sword. "I'm afraid you'll have to wait to meet the other council member, Daryl, he's out on a hunt right now." Turning his head, he saw Maggie and Glenn and smiled, adding. "I see you've already met Glenn and my daughter Maggie." He looked back to us and looked down at Annabelle smiling gently. "Now who might you both be?"

"My name is Alyss and this is Annabelle." I said, nodding towards my little sister who was smiling at the people in front of us, apparently very at ease with Hershel. "Thank you for bringing us to join you. It really is nice to see people, we haven't seen any good folks in about a year or so." Hershel nodded at me as Carol seemed to melting her cold interior that she seemed to carry and Michonne was seemingly trying to determine the situation.

"So you'll be moving in then?" Carol asked, looking us over once again, her eyes catching on Annabelle.

"I believe so." I said, standing up straighter.

"Can I play with the chalk?" Annabelle butted in. "Alyss said I had to ask, to be nice. Can I meet some other kids?" She continued, as she squirmed down and stepped up the Hershel. "You're a lot like my dad was." She added at the end. This seemed to send a shock wave of silence through all of us. Rick was the first one to speak.

"Well I believe you can. How about we move you and your sister in and you can meet the rest of the kids at story time? Carol likes to read to the kids after dinner, does that sound like fun?" He asked, as Annabelle smiled up at him eagerly. Annabelle had taken a strong liking to Rick and it seemed to be for the best. Her head quickly spun around and her bright green eyes locked on me.

"Can I? Please! Please!" She practically begged as I nodded and she actually squealed. "I like it here. I think I'm gonna stay." Annabelle said, nodding her head to herself and earning a few chuckles from around the circle and even a small crack of a smile from Michonne.

"Let's get you settled in then." Rick said, smiling at her. "If you don't mind, I'll lead you up to where we keep the cars and we'll get you into your cell." I nodded and began to walk to the truck with Annabelles light footsteps following me.

"I can show her Dad." Carl chipped in, opening the door of their car. He turned to look at me and gave me a small smile. "That okay?" He asked me. Yeah, I really liked seeing his boy happy.

"Yeah of course." I said opening the door of the truck and Annabelle climbed her way in. "Lead on Sheriff." I smirked as he tipped his hat slightly to me and got into the car. Sitting in the drivers seat, I shut the door and Annabelle sat in my lap. Turning over the engine, I slowly followed Carl up the drive and into the actual prison. We stopped at another gate that was at the other end of the prison. I stopped the car and opened the door, Annabelle hopping down first. Stepping out, I closed the door and locked it behind me. Carl was standing next to me.

"There ain't no need for that." He said, giving me a reassuring smile. As much as his smiles made me want to practically jump him, this was new. New wasn't always good, in this situation new was terrifying, exciting and sometimes deadly.

"We'll see." I said, going to the bed of the truck and grabbing my bags. A hand went on mine and I dropped my bag. Reaching down, Carl grabbed it and took the last one from the bed of the truck and threw it over his shoulder. I grabbed my bow and sheath of arrows, the last things to be taken out and first ones to be put in, and slung them over my shoulders.

"Let's go on in. Everyone else is down in the cells." He said, opening a door near us and stepping inside. Annabelle was following right behind him and looking at me in expectation, extending her hand towards me.

"Come on Alyss. Let's go. For Mom." She said, like she always did when she knew I was nervous. We had made a pact ever since Mom died that no matter what we had to do for each other we'd do it for Mom. Adjusting the strap of sheath, I took her small hand in mine and stepped inside.

"For Mom." I said, as the door closed behind us.


	6. Chapter 6

The prison had a damp, heavy air to it as we made our way down a hallway. Annabelles hand was clammy and clinging to mine as I adjusted my bow.

"How long have you been here?" I asked trying to make conversation as our footsteps were the only noise to fill the immense empty space.

"Not long." Carl said, readjusting our bags on his shoulder. "We cleared out the prison yard when we first got here then moved our way in and cleared out this block. We had to clear out another one when we gained some more people, but I doubt you'll meet them. We stick to our own. And you're both one of us." He said, smiling at both of us as he stopped at the end of the hallway we were walking down. "Welcome to C Block." Carl said, smiling as he opened the gate that was in front of us. Annabelle dropped my hand and peaked her head out before making her way into the cell block. I followed and stepped out onto the sun lit cement. It lead out into a large cell block. There were about six cells, on each of the two levels. Annabelle made her way down a staircase that lead down to the ground floor.

"Annabelle." I called out as I walked down the stairs with Carls footsteps following me as Annabelle began to peek her head into the cells. Most had the cell doors wide open, but blocked off by hanging sheets. I raked my eyes over the cells as I took our bags from Carl.

"Most of the top ones are empty, I don't suggest you take one. Well I didn't think you would anyways." He said, moving his glances from the top cells onto me. "Too smart for that." He smirk slightly as I turned my attentions back onto Annabelle who was running her hand down a bright pink sheet. A movement out of the corner of eye caught my attention as I saw him motion towards the third cell from the left. "That's the closest one to the exit thats empty." Carl said as my eyes were diverted to a large room that was attached to the cell block and spotted a door on the other side. Annabelle stood in front of the cell that was closed and slowly slid the door away. She turned to me, smiling. I nodded and she ran in, climbing up the bunk beds and flopping down on the top bunk.

"Mine!" She called out. I smiled and readjusted the straps on my shoulders as I walked into the cell. It wasn't too small, nothing that would cause someone to go crazy, more like cozy. There was a set of bunk beds and a small metal desk that was shoved against the wall. Placing the bags down, I set my bow against the wall along with my arrows. Annabelle was laying on the top bunk with Eeyore clutched to her chest, a huge smile plastered on her face. "Carl?" She asked, keeping her eyes on the ceiling as I unzipped a bag,

"Yes." He said, leaning in the doorway of the cell.

"Where do you sleep? When's dinner? How many kids are there? Are they nice?" Annabelle listed off in a rapid line as she sat up and swung her legs over the side of the cast a glance at me as I handed her Winnie and she clutched it next to Eeyore. I shrugged and tossed the pillows on my bunk.

"Six year olds." I smiled at him. His lips slowly turned into a smile.

"My sister just hit the terrible twos. Does it get any worse?" He asked, coming inside and leaning against the desk.

"The threes are even worse." I smiled back at him and set Annabelles pillow, along with her leaf journal on her bed.

"Well?" Annabelle pipped in, crossing her arms against her chest and tapping her foot against the air.

"Well." Carl grinned at me and then turned to her. "Dinner will be done in a little bit, we usually eat right before sundown so we can eat outside before it gets too cold. There are about fifteen to twenty kids here but most of them are in the other cell block. Most of them are extremely nice but some of them are still pretty shy being in a new group. They last one they were in wasn't exactly...good." Carl said, his eyes shining over slightly as he let out a small cough. "Anyways, I am right next door so if you need anything." He said, making his way over and giving a sharp rap on the wall. "I'll be over in a heartbeat." He smiled at her, before turning his eyes onto me. I felt my face turn a light, burning pink and smiled back. Annabelles eyes went between us in quick movement.

"If you like my sister, you have to go through me." She pipped me, looking at Carl with possibly murder in her eyes. "You'll have to be nice to her. I know where you sleep now." Annabelle finished with a crisp tone in her voice as if she had just complimented the weather. Carl's face erupted into a bright red and he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well I'm sure that Carl here has a lot more on his mind than liking lil ole me." I said, walking over to Annabelle and started to tickle her side. Her face erupted into laughter as she dropped Eeyore and it handed on my feet. I turned to Carl to see him staring at me with his face slowly losing it's red shade. "We'll find you when you get settled." I said, my lips turning up slightly at the edges as my face continued to burn. He nodded and he made his way out. My sights turned on Annabelle, whose face was turning red and eyes were staring at me. "Oh now you're gonna get it."


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay so first of all THIS ISN'T FUCKING OKAY!. If you haven't seen the mid-season finale, ignore this and go on reading the fanfiction. So continuing, my soul, my non-existent one due to the gingerness, is crushed. Due to the loss of our favorite ray of hope and light, this chapter is dedicated to her. R.I.P. Beth 3**

**P.S. Once again send all teh reviews down below and despite the lost we faced, enjoy.**

I swung open the door that I assumed lead out to the front of the prison since it was the only door in sight. Annabelle walked out in front of me and her eyes scanned the scene in front of her. The door slammed shut behind us as we made our way over to the rest of the gang and the rays of the setting sun fell over us. Carl was right, they had a lot of people and most of them kept to themselves. A majority of the people, mainly middle aged men and women, were sitting close to the prison, eating and talking amongst themselves. Children ran around near them, playing tag and enjoying the evening. Annabelle turned around with excitement into her eyes that were locked on me.

"After diner." I said as she nodded and turn her gaze back onto the other children. Placing a hand on her shoulder and practically tearing her away from the seemingly magnificent scene before her, we headed over to where "our" people were. Carl was talking to a kid about our age with glasses and dark curly hair. He spotted us and a smile erupted on his face, waving at us to join them. Annabelle practically ran over and scampered up onto a seat right next to Carl. Sitting down, Carl cast me a smile and the kid cast me a glance as Annabelle's feet hit against the empty bucket she was sitting on.

"Just in time." Carl said, throwing his empty plate on top of his friends and rustling Annabelles hair, earning himself a smile. "I'd like to introduce you both to Patrick." Patrick nodded at both of us.

"Nice to meet you." I said, offering him my hand as his eyes glanced over it from behind his glasses. My gaze landed on his face, noticing the pale sheen covering it as I dropped my mind. "My name is Alyss and this is my sister Annabelle." Patrick simply nodded.

"Same to you." He simply put.

"So it's Spaghetti Tuesday. Shall I get you both a place?" Carl said, standing up.

"None for me." I said. "Annabelle will have a plate though." Annabelle looked at me with slight hesitant in her green eyes and I gave her a small reassuring smile. "Go ahead sweetie." I added as she stood up and took Carl's hand in hers.

"You like spaghetti?" Carl asked Annabelle as they made their way over to the food.

"Not hungry?" Patrick asked as I crossed my arms against my chest.

"I don't want to owe these people anything incase things head south." I said, my train of thought beginning to trail away.

"These people aren't like that. I don't know what you've been through but I came from a pretty fucked up group to say the least and compared to them, these people are saints." He remarked, pushing his glasses up higher on his nose and looking down at his hands.

"Where'd you come from?" I asked, studying his pale face trying to recognize his features.

"A place called Woodbury." I nodded at his quiet response and plastered a smile on my face as Annabelle skipped back to the table with Carl holding a full plate following along. She sat down and locked her eyes on Patrick, a fork grasped in her small hand.

"What's a Woodbury?" She asked as Carl placed the plate in front of her and took his seat. His face dropped at the word.

"It's where Patrick and most of the other people in cell block D used to stay." Carl said in a sharp tone. Annabelle shoved a large forkful of pasta into her mouth and her eyes flitted between Carl and Patrick.

"What happened there?" I asked. Carl cast me a glance and mouth to me over Annabelle's head '_I'll tell you later_', casting a glance down at her. I nodded and followed her gaze as she continued to shovel down her food. A sad smile fell across my face as I realized the distance between the times that we had a hot meal ever since the world fell to ruin. A few silence filled minutes later, Annabelle looked up at me with an empty plate and a pasta sauce filled face.

"Can I go now?" She asked, practically begging. "Carl said they're really nice and they really wanna meet me!" My eyes landed on Carl who smiled at me.

"Of course sweetie." I said, grabbing a napkin off of the table and gently wiping her face clean. "I want you to go with the other children to story time and I'll go get you afterwards." She stood up, her eyes big and bright, with a smile printed across her face that I hadn't seen in a very long time. "Keep your knife hidden." I muttered to her as she nodded, pecked my cheek and ran off as my eyes kept close watch. A throat being cleared caught me attention as I turned around to see Carl and his friend standing up with the plates in hand.

"We have to go make out rounds. I'll stop by your cell in a little bit and explain." He said as I nodded and offered out my hand.

"Let me take the plates. I need an excuse to try and be sociable." I said, as Carl smiled and Patricks lips slightly twitched upwards. Carl handed them to me and grasped my shoulder as they made their way towards the gates. Adding Annabelle's plate to the stack, I stood up and made my way over to where the other plates were stacked. Placing the plates on top of the pile and throwing the dirty napkin in what I hoped was a trash can, I turned around and was met with a pair of big green eyes.

"Oh hello! You must be Alyss! My name is Beth. It's nice to meet you." The green eyed girl, Beth, said in a very happy tone with a smile spread across her face.

"That's me." I said, my eyes wearily taking in this ray of sunshine. "It's nice to meet you too."

"Where's Annabelle?" She asked, her green eyes scanning me behind me and the rays of the sun bouncing off her blonde hair.

"She's with the other kids." I said as Beth turned around to look at the kids with Annabelle being the center of attention. Her hair whipped around her face as she turned back to look at me.

"Oh that's great! Everyone here is really nice, she'll fit in just fine. Just like you will. We haven't had any kids my age around in a while." She mentioned as the light in her eyes dissipated for a slight second but when returned full force. "Are you named after Alice from Alice in Wonderland?" She asked, her eyes actually seeming to show her true curiosity.

"Sort of. It's spelt A-L-Y-S-S though. My mom liked it better than the original." I said moving out of the way allowing Beth to place her dish with the others. She nodded and smiled up at me.

"Have you met a lot of people already? I know you've met the council, Hershel's my dad, and my sister and her husband." She added at the end.

"I've met everyone from your group, I'm supposed to find this Daryl guy cause we both hunt." I said, leaning against the crate and shoving my hands in my pockets.

"You'll like Daryl, you remind me of him a bit." Beth added. I nodded and kept a gaze on Annabelle who was playing tag with a bunch of the other children."I'll see you around then. I have to go help inside with the dishes." She said, smiling at me as she made her way inside. Sighing, I stood up straighter and tucked myself inwards as a breeze made its way through. Making my way over to the door that we came out of, I cast a glance at Annabelle smiling and laughing without a care in the world. A faint smile fell over my lips as I walked inside the prison and waited as the door slammed shut behind me.

* * *

><p>A faint knock on the side of the wall snapped me out of the motions as I finished unpacking Annabelle's stuff, laying it out carefully on the desk. My eyes snapped onto Carl holding a small girl, about two years old whose eyes were locked on me. I smiled at her and moved my gaze back onto Carl who was standing outside of the cell.<p>

"Come on in. Whose this?" I asked with a huge smile on my face as the little girl grinned up at me.

"This is my little sister Judith. Would you like to hold her?" He asked me, his blue eyes filled with happiness looking down at her.

"I would love too." I said, feeling my chest fill with warmth from the offer. Holding out my arms, he gently slid into them and she looked between both of us until her eyes finally settled on me. I smiled at her as she used one hand to slightly wave at me. Using my free hand, I waved back as I turned my gaze back to Carl who was smiling so much I couldn't believe that it wasn't hurting his face.

"Would you like to go on a tour of the prison? I thought that it'd be nice. I could tell you about Woodbury if you'd like." He offered, rubbing the back of his neck as his eyes made little awkward glances at the floor.

"I'd like that." I replied as his eyes met mine.


End file.
